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Slowing down in Bodrum, chasing the waves and local treats

Greetings from Bodrum – Bodrum’dan merhaba; we have been at Turgutreis in Bodrum for a few days. It feels so good to slow down and chase the waves.. Here are what we’ve been up to and some local treats. Most of them can be easily made at home, hope they inspire or bring a smile.

Beautiful pots and flowers of Turgutreis, Bodrum

Beautiful pots and flowers of Turgutreis, Bodrum

We are staying at my parents’ time share home in Turgutreis; Bodrum in general is a very popular holiday destination, though it is good to see Turgutreis still retains the village feel at places. My dad gets his daily egg and freshly picked tomatoes, peppers and aubergine at the nearby farm, from Fatma Teyze. And what a delightful commute walking at the beach for 15 minutes to get the fresh eggs..

Sevgi Baci's delicious gozlemes, Turgutreis - Bodrum

Sevgi Baci’s delicious gozlemes, Turgutreis – Bodrum

We can’t get enough of Sevgi Baci’s made to order Gozlemes, Anatolian flat breads with fillings; this time it is cheese and potato.

Kabak cicegi dolmasi; stuffed zucchini, courgette flowers with aromatic rice and onion

Kabak cicegi dolmasi; stuffed zucchini, courgette flowers with aromatic rice and onion

Have you ever tried stuffed courgette/zucchini flowers? It is a delicacy especially  in the Aegean region in Turkey; courgette flowers are stuffed with aromatic rice with herbs and onions, cooked and served with a slice of lemon, so fragrant and delicious.

Stuffed grapevine leaves with aromatic rice; Zeytinyagli Sarma

Stuffed grapevine leaves with aromatic rice; Zeytinyagli Sarma

Stuffed vine leaves with aromatic rice and onions filling, Zeytinyagli Sarma is another delicious mezzes we have been having; served with a slice of lemon, it’s such a delicious, refreshing treat. Here’s my recipe if you’d like to have a go.

Children queuing for stuffed mussels, Midye Dolma in Turgutreis, Bodrum

Children queuing for stuffed mussels, Midye Dolma in Turgutreis, Bodrum

Since the weather is warm, Zeytinyaglis, that is vegetables cooked in olive oil as well as sea food are to go food items. I loved seeing stuffed mussels with aromatic rice, served at the beach in Turgutreis. Also delighted to see the kids (including my children) queuing for them!:) Mussels here are stuffed in their shell with cooked rice & grated onion with spices; red pepper flakes and a hit of cinnamon. All you need is a squeeze of lemon and the whole plateful disappears within minutes.

Midye dolma; Stuffed Mussels

Midye dolma; Stuffed Mussels

Karpuz, peynir, ekmek; coolwatermelon, Turkish white cheese (try Ezine peyniri, if you can) and freshly baked bread.. This is a traditional and a very refreshing lunch or snack at home, especially in hot days and we have been enjoying our fair share. A delicious, refreshing and healthy lunch alternative.

Cool water melon, feta cheese and freshly baked bread - Karpuz, peynir, ekmek make a delicious, refreshing lunch

Cool water melon, feta cheese and freshly baked bread – Karpuz, peynir, ekmek make a delicious, refreshing lunch

How about eggs cooked with ripe tomatoes, green peppers, onions? Scrambled or left as a whole, they make such a delicious start for the day for Turkish breakfast. Here is my recipe for the scrambled egg with vegetables, Menemen.

Eggs with tomatoes, peppers and onion

Eggs with tomatoes, peppers and onion

Our local eatery in Avta – Turgutreis is wonderful. Kevser Teyze and Ismail Usta prepares freshly cooked casseroles, tencere yemekleri daily, using the local produce. We look forward to their food everyday!

Kevser teyze's freshly prepared casseroles

Kevser teyze’s freshly prepared casseroles

Karniyarik, Stuffed eggplants with ground meat and vegetables, dolma, stuffed peppers, kuru fasulye, Turkish bean stew with onions, tomatoes, peppers (also with meat if you like), okra with onions, peppers, tomatoes (also with meat as an option) all freshly made. It is so good to see these local eateries around and well worth hunting for them.

Delicious okra cooked with onions, peppers, tomatoes, with or without meat

Delicious okra cooked with onions, peppers, tomatoes, chickpeas with or without meat

We also made it to the beautiful Gumusluk. There is a wonderful art scene in Gumusluk, loved all the handmade art, crafts, pottery and tiles.

Hand made tiles and crafts in Gumusluk

Hand made tiles and crafts in Gumusluk

Gumusluk Unlu Mamulleri has been an amazing discovery; this wonderful bakery makes delicious boreks, pastries, simit and boreks; we got all these from them and enjoyed with cay by the harbor. Their rolled spinach pie, ispanakli borek was especially delightful.

Ispanakli kol boregi, Gumusluk Unlu Mamulleri

Ispanakli kol boregi, Gumusluk Unlu Mamulleri

Sunset is beautiful at Gumusluk and the walk to the Tavsan Adasi, we will be back.

Sunset at Gumusluk and the walk to the Tavsan Adasi

Sunset at Gumusluk and the walk to the Tavsan Adasi

These delicious lokmas; little dough balls soaked in syrup, are another specialty here; they have a light batter and you feel like you can eat the whole bowl!

Delicious lokma dessert of the Aegean

Delicious lokma dessert of the Aegean

How about the zucchini fritters with feta and dill, mucver? It is in abundance at the moment, and these delicious fritters are a real treat with a dollop of yoghurt aside.

Zucchini fritters with feta, onions and dill; Mucver

Zucchini fritters with feta, onions and dill; Mucver

One of the real treats of our Bodrum stay has been to have a chance to meet up with Alan and J of the wonderful blog Archers of Okcular. A keen nature lover, Alan’s blog inspires me a lot, as well as the wonderful projects they do, such as their Okcular Book Project. The sale of Alan’s brilliant Okcular Guide Book provides funds for the environmental and community projects in their Okcular village near Dalyan, as well as to the Okcular Primary School. It has been so wonderful to meet Alan and J in person; we chatted, ate, drank teas and coffees with my parents, who proved that language is no barrier! Happy days and thanks to them for coming over to see us.

A very memorable meet up with Alan and J of Archers of Okcular

A very memorable meet up with Alan and J of Archers of Okcular

Here is another delicious local treat we enjoyed, Sandal Sefasi, from Bodrum. This reminded me of the stuffed eggplants with ground meat, onions and tomatoes, Karniyarik – with a twist. This time halved eggplants are stuffed with cubed chunks of meat in onion and tomato sauce, topped with cheddar cheese, a slice of tomato and pepper, delicious!

Sansal Sefasi; stuffed eggplants with cubes of meat in tomato and onion sauce, topped with cheddar cheese

Sansal Sefasi; stuffed eggplants with cubes of meat in tomato and onion sauce, topped with cheddar cheese

Time to sign off to tend the children, eager to jump into the sea.

Gumusluk, Bodrum; with beautiful, crystal clear sea

Gumusluk, Bodrum; with beautiful, crystal clear sea

Until next time, Bodrum’dan Selamlar,

Ozlem

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23 Responses to Slowing down in Bodrum, chasing the waves and local treats

  1. Alan August 13, 2014 at 2:55 pm #

    . . the pleasure of meeting up with you and your family was a delight to be treasured. As for the meals of Kevser Teyze and Ismail Usta, well, a lokanta at the gateway to paradise comes to mind. Lovely day, thank you.

    • Ozlem Warren August 14, 2014 at 12:15 pm #

      Merhaba Alan, pleasure is all ours, many thanks again for coming over. Mum and dad says next meeting in Istanbul or Dalyan, we look forward to it 🙂 Cok Sevgiler, Ozlem

  2. senior dogs abroad August 13, 2014 at 3:40 pm #

    Özlem’ciÄŸim, What a wonderful posting. Really, it looks heavenly there and the food! Well, your photo encouraged me to go ahead and try making the okra that is in our market every week. Also, Alan and J are two of our favorite people! To Mark, Emma and Öznur, a big hug and kiss. Have a wonderful rest of your time with your family. Çoook öptük. J and M

    • Ozlem Warren August 14, 2014 at 12:14 pm #

      Merhaba Jolee, many thanks for your very kind note : ) Do have a go on the okra, really is such a delicious, refreshing recipe, locals here also put chickpeas in it. With a squeeze of lemon, an ideal summer dish! We had such a lovely time with Alan and J and you two were in our thoughts, cok sevgilerimizle, Ozlem xx

  3. jaz August 13, 2014 at 4:21 pm #

    what a beautiful place! and so many things i want to make. i think i will make the stuffed grape leaves using the ones growing in my garden. i never stuffed zucchini blossoms with rice. we stuff them with cheese, batter them and fry them. i might make your zucchini fritters tomorrow. thanks for all the recipes!

    • Ozlem Warren August 14, 2014 at 12:12 pm #

      You are very welcome Jaz; try stuffing zucchini flowers with rice, onions and herbs, really delicious. We cook them in little water and olive oil, light and really delicious – with a squeeze of lemon over!:)

  4. Peri's Spice Ladle August 14, 2014 at 4:41 am #

    Lovely to see you relaxing surrounded by beautiful food, friends and family, Ozlem:) just the way summer should be! I love the pic of kids waiting for steamed mussels, I think it’s amazing when children eat everything…have fun! XxPeri.

    • Ozlem Warren August 14, 2014 at 12:06 pm #

      Many thanks Peri, the stuffed mussels experience was very memorable, likewise, love seeing children eager to try out a variety of food. With love from all of us, Ozlem xx

  5. Karen August 14, 2014 at 1:57 pm #

    Wonderful post, I feel as if I’m there. Thank you for sharing.

    • Ozlem Warren August 14, 2014 at 7:37 pm #

      Merhaba Karen, you are very welcome, so glad to hear you enjoyed it.

  6. MyKabulKitchen August 14, 2014 at 3:42 pm #

    Thank you for sharing your trip! This looks like a beautiful place, and the food is making my mouth water! Everything looks fresh and delicious, I hope you had a wonderful time 🙂

    • Ozlem Warren August 14, 2014 at 7:35 pm #

      Many thanks : ) We’re enjoying it, good to be back home 🙂

  7. Cuisinedeprovence August 14, 2014 at 3:45 pm #

    Happy holidays Özlem! I have been to villages around Bodrum but don’t remember quite such fantastic food. Yum!

    • Ozlem Warren August 14, 2014 at 7:35 pm #

      Turgutreis still has some village feel and local places to eat, I was happy to see it – many thanks for your note 🙂

  8. cali August 14, 2014 at 5:44 pm #

    Meehan Ozlem,

    I wish that I was in Turkey with you. Enjoy your time out there. Btw, do you know of any places in the States that sell those small wooden tables that the women in the photo are using to make gozleme?

    • Ozlem Warren August 14, 2014 at 7:34 pm #

      Merhaba Cali, thank you very much for your note; Turkey is a wonderful country with warm people, hope you make it here. That oval oven where gozleme is made is called Sac, it is hard to find abroad, perhaps tulumba.com or Middle Eastern markets carry it. If not, a flat, non stick wide pan would work too. My best wishes, Ozlem

  9. Kath Davies August 14, 2014 at 9:37 pm #

    Looks like you are having a great time on the Bodrum peninsula – brings back lots of memories for me. Lovely photographs and lovely looking food!

    • Ozlem Warren August 15, 2014 at 1:33 pm #

      Many thanks Kath, it’s been wonderful to be back – sadly we missed Annie, I am hopeful for the next time. Hope you’re settling well!

  10. Taste of Beirut August 15, 2014 at 12:13 am #

    What a fun food excursion!! I love courgette flowers because it feels good to not waste any part of the vegetable! So many people just throw them away.

    • Ozlem Warren August 15, 2014 at 1:32 pm #

      Thanks for stopping by Joumana, it’s been indeed a delicious foodie excursion; everyday food so effortlessly delicious. Love courgette flowers too, so delicate and packed with flavor, nature’s wonderful gift, too good to be wasted.

  11. Turkey's For Life August 15, 2014 at 8:56 am #

    I don’t know about chasing the waves in Bodrum; it looks like you’ve been eating Bodrum. 🙂 Great you got to meet up with Alan and J. Spoken to them a couple of times when they’ve been to the Christmas fayre, here. Still hoping to get to Kalkan. We’ll be in touch. 🙂
    Julia

    • Ozlem Warren August 15, 2014 at 1:31 pm #

      You’re right Julia, there has been lot of feasting in between chasing the waves, and how can you not? They are all out there, calling out 🙂 Do hope we can meet up! Ozlem x

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